A FEW TIPS BEFORE THE DAY… Thank you for booking your photoshoot with design4dentists. In order for the day to run as smoothly as possible, here are a few tips to prepare the staff and practice before I arrive. After all, we want to ensure your practice looks as good as possible in the photos.   1. FLOWERS Flowers are a great prop as they create colour, brighten up rooms and add a softer texture to the photos making your clinic feel warmer and friendlier. They are also very useful as we can use them to hide any unsightly fixtures such as hanging wires, plug sockets or conduits. If […]

  ACTORS & MODELS ARE NOT THE EXPERTS When a business thinks about marketing their services or goods they want customers to see their brand looking as good as it can be. Hiring actors or models can be hugely expensive, especially for small businesses and it is also time consuming as they often need to be guided or trained. Unfortunately for a dental or orthodontic practice there is only a few hours to interrupt normal operations, so time is not on their side. Not only this, the models are NOT the person a patient will see and if we are promoting our own bespoke brand, we do not want to […]

  ADVERTISING BOTOX IN YOUR SEO Well implemented SEO for facial aesthetics can help to generate many thousands of visitors to your website. However, you may well be aware that the Advertising Standards Authority are clamping down on the advertising of Botox and similar products on all media to the public.   BOTOX CANNOT BE ADVERTISED TO THE PUBLIC The fact is, all Botulinum Toxin type products like BOTOX  are a Prescription Only Medicine and like all POM’s, there is a CAP Code which prohibits them from being marketed to the general public. This means you will have to remove all promotional references of Botox or similar products on your […]

   ADVERTISING REGULATIONS FOR BOTOX We have summarised below the advertising regulations for botox when marketing this product and related treatments to your patients. In this summary, ‘Botox-type products’ refers to any Botulinum Toxin product which are prescription only medicines (POMs).   THE ADVERTISING STANDARDS AUTHORITY (ASA) The ASA is the regulatory organisation for all advertising in the UK. They respond to complaints and monitor adverts including social media and website content. They have the power to administer sanctions against advertisers who fail to work within advertising rules.   COMMITTEES OF ADVERTISING PRACTICE (CAP) CAP is the self-regulatory organisation through which UK advertising codes of practice are written. Under […]

  STRATEGIC ALLIANCES – WORK IN PARTNERSHIP Reaching out to new potential patients can be time consuming and costly. However, creating strategic alliances by teaming up with someone who wants to target the same customers can be a really effective. It can help widen your marketing opportunities with regular promotions and the occasional joint event. Sharing ideas with strategic alliances and creating real value-add packages can prove invaluable for small businesses. Its also ideal for your patients as they benefit greatly as well as the fact that you will be able to share costs on your marketing activities.   WHICH OTHER SERVICES RELATE TO YOURS Think about your target market. What […]

  KEEP YOUR DENTAL PATIENTS INFORMED A proactive dental practice with good patient communication systems in place will benefit in the long term. Many existing patients want to be advised of new services so think of ways to keep them informed. You must also update your dental website regularly and focus on different advertising avenues. A lot of potential new patients may know you are there so keep your brand fresh and up to date. It can cost twice as much to acquire a new patient as it does to keep an existing one. By keeping in touch with your patients, you can make sure they are happy with your […]

  DENTAL PR – RAISE YOUR BRAND PROFILE Dental PR and sponsorship are excellent ways of raising your brand profile to new potential customers. Understanding which publications they read (both online and in print) is a great starting point. Find out their trusted sources for information, and what other products or services they use which complement yours. Finding stories for your dental PR campaign, or angles which will provide an interesting article is worth writing about. A well written press release sent out on a regular basis should start to generate interest for your business. You may want to consider a reader offer or competition to create some publicity. You […]

  YOUR DENTAL REFERRAL PACK There are many different ways in which you can create a professional dental referral pack. It must be designed to reflect your brand of dentistry and the service level in which your specialities are practiced. In other words, if you consider your clinic to be upmarket and charging premium rates for top treatments, then your dental referral pack must be produced with quality in mind. You must also consider what should be included to help general dental practitioners and patients to choose you and no other dental specialist. Here are the seven key items I recommend you include in your dental referral pack:   1. […]

  FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATIONS It’s hard to replace face to face communication. Promoting your dental practice may start with a launch party or open day. These are ideal to share your vision and promote a new dental product. Or they can simply give patients the opportunity to ask about certain dental treatments in a more relaxed environment.   LAUNCH PARTIES Launch your new dental brand with a party in the practice. Invite your existing patients and ask them to bring friends and family members. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate what you and your team have achieved and to thank your new or existing patients for their loyalty.   […]

  PROMOTE YOUR BRAND Once you’ve created your dental brand, you need to market and promote it, in addition to your services. This is how you establish your credibility and relevance to your target audience. High brand awareness amongst your target market will allow you to easily introduce a wider range of dental services as and when they become developed, without having to start over again selling who you are, what you do and how you do it first. Your brand has already pre-sold you.   EFFECTIVE DENTAL MARKETING IS KEY To make dental marketing really effective, you need to have a plan. Your marketing plan should support your strategic […]